District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about DC DMV

DC DMV requirements in detail

The license translation, step by step

If you live in DC for more than 30 days and are not on a visitor's visa, you need a DC license (Driver license for non-US citizens).

With a valid non-US license you still take the knowledge test, but the license itself counts as proof of your ability to drive, so the road skills test is waived.

When it is not in English, it goes in with an English translation attached.

The DMV gives three conditions. The translation comes from your embassy, on official letterhead, or from a translation company.

A company translation is certified with a translation stamp, or with a notarized affidavit confirming that a qualified translator prepared it and that it is accurate and complete.

And it is dated on or after the date of the license, so a translation of an earlier license does not carry over to a renewed one (Driver license for non-US citizens).

If you want the notarized-affidavit form, add notarization at checkout ($34.90 per order).

Limited Purpose license and visitors

Residents who do not have and cannot get a Social Security number, including those who cannot establish legal presence, may apply for a Limited Purpose license, valid for eight years and not usable as federal identification; every applicant takes the knowledge and road tests (Limited Purpose driver license).

Its step-by-step handout lists foreign source documents, such as a foreign birth certificate or a foreign license, and asks that any non-English one carry a translation from the embassy or from a certified translator with a certification stamp.

Non-US citizens on visitor visas cannot get a REAL ID license in DC but may be eligible for the Limited Purpose license (Driver license for non-US citizens). A REAL ID license issued to a non-US citizen expires at the end of the approved stay.

Documents people usually translate

• A non-US driver's license, for the road test waiver
• Foreign birth certificates, for the Limited Purpose license
• Foreign national ID cards and consular cards
• Foreign marriage certificates, when the name on your documents changed

What an eVerbary translation includes

• A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
• A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload or print.
• $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
• Notarization added at checkout ($34.90 per order) when the office asks for a notarized translation.

Submitting the translation to DC DMV

• Attach the translation to the license or document and bring both to your DC DMV service center visit; the DMV's online Document Verification Guide lists what to bring for your case (Driver license for non-US citizens).

How to order

1. Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
2. Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
3. Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and submit it with the copy of the original wherever the office asks for it.

Frequently asked questions